Been Telling You All Along
by Microsuede Mouse
Summary: Olivia is surprised the first time Wen says he loves her, but he's already told her in so many ways.


This has been done for a couple days but I've been procrastinating posting it. I've got two more much longer fics well underway as well, one focusing on these two and one on another ship. Hopefully I'll have those done soon, though idk how many people are looking for LM fic any more, haha.

Anyway, hope you enjoy. I love these two to death.

[Cross-posted to AO3]

* * *

It was like countless other days they had had, sitting at the table in Olivia's backyard, composing a song. Wen couldn't even guess how many times they had done this exact thing over the last year. How many times they had pressed close together, shoulder-to-shoulder and chairs side-by-side as they peered at the lyrics she'd scratched out on a page, his hands hovering over his laptop as he tried a melody that had been on his mind for a while. How many times they'd tapered off in a song and found themselves watching each other's faces from a distance of only inches. This was, however, the first time he had kissed her.

This latest song they were working on was a little different. She had been a little hesitant to show him these lyrics, but his sweet smile persuaded her, and she handed him the notebook. "A love song?" he'd asked, half-smiling. The band didn't have many of those, and what they did have were mostly led – and, with a little help, written – by Mo.

"Yeah," she murmured, embarrassed.

"No, it's really sweet," he told her, grinning at the page as he skimmed. Then he handed it back to her and looked at his laptop. "Hang on a sec. If it's cool with you, I've been working on a tune that I think would fit." He started to play, and after she got a feel for it, she started to sing. He leaned over to see the words again and sing along. They'd done it so many times. And like so many other times, they came to the end of a verse and they petered out and looked at each other, smiling shyly, so close together.

It wasn't like he didn't _know_. For all they danced around it, neither of them was really hiding their feelings. He didn't know why he still hadn't said anything – it wasn't for fear of rejection or doubt that it was mutual. Just nerves in general, he guessed, even if they were baseless. But the words to that song melted him a little bit, and for the first time he leaned in and kissed her. It was instinct. Her shoulders tensed, but she seemed to kiss him back, gently. He didn't linger, even though he kind of wanted to; instead he pulled back, not going far.

He watched her face. There was a tiny delay before she opened her eyes and stared at him, clearly uncertain.

"Hey," Wen said softly, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Um, Wen, I-" she stopped, licked her lips, restarted. "The- the song, it's-"

"You know I love you, right?" he interrupted, impulsively. Her face instantly turned a bright shade of red, and he felt her hand curl up where it rested against the spot where their thighs were pressed together.

"I um- didn't know," Olivia managed quietly, shaking her head. She swallowed. "Was never sure."

"Aw, Olivia," he murmured, smiling again and glancing down, a little amused and a little embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been telling you all along, you know."

"What?"

x

He really had been. It took a second for him to come up with the first example – probably because he was trying to figure out when it had started, exactly; when was the first time he actually said something? – but once he started the moments cascaded into his memory one after another. The fact was, he'd known her basically his whole life, but also not _really_ known her before that day in detention. That day had changed everything though; he'd looked up when she started singing and he'd found himself completely enchanted. He'd never fallen so fast. And the first time he said it, really, was so soon after that.

It was when they met up at Dante's. Wen had still been beating himself up a bit for startling her at her locker earlier that day; the last thing he wanted to do was scare her. He'd told himself to back off and give her a little room to breathe. But she'd nervously asked what they would even _play_ in a band, and he couldn't help saying it. "You could write our songs." It just came out. Olivia stared at him.

"Me?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. He had to follow through now. "That one you did the other day was… pretty amazing." He'd shot her a grin then, and she looked terrified, but he meant it. He thought she was great, and he really wanted to hear her sing again, wanted to see what else she had.

There were so many moments he'd looked at her and his heart felt like it might swell out of his chest, but after a moment's thought he realized the second time he'd said it was in her own backyard. That first time he'd gone over to work on some songs together, they sat close together just like this, singing the first verse of what eventually became Determinate, and suddenly they'd stopped and stared at each other. Familiar by now. But at the shy, happy look on her face that day, he found himself saying, "I like when you smile."

Immediately embarrassed, he'd looked away, and they'd both spent a minute talking meaninglessly, trying to dismiss the tender moment. But if, in retrospect, he'd been asked to pin down a point when he'd known it wasn't just him, that was it. She hadn't gone anywhere; she'd stayed pressed against him and they'd kept working. Kept smiling. And it went from something he had to something they had.

Then there was the Hallowe'en Bash. After he'd searched everywhere for her, heartbroken that she was nowhere to be found, Lyle had pointed them towards the bathroom and Wen was off like a shot. Following Mo and Stella into the girls' washroom really didn't take that much deliberating, as far as he was concerned, and he went straight to the stall door she was hiding behind and leaned close, trying to talk to her like he would if they were alone. When he passed her that lemonade from Stella's belt, "We believe in you" seemed like the right thing to say; it seemed like what he was _supposed_ to say. But then he'd added " _I_ believe in you," because that was what he _wanted_ to say.

He liked to think that meant something to her. They'd spent enough song-writing sessions alone together by now for him to feel like they were building their own friendship, distinct from the group dynamic in general. And he really _did_ believe in her; he thought she'd be absolutely amazing if she could get herself out there on stage. When she emerged from that stall, ready to try, he'd been overjoyed. And a few minutes he found that he was right – she was incredible. It was hard to keep his eyes off her.

There were maybe dozens of tiny moments, compliments, post-show hugs, exchanged smiles. But the next one that stood out was in her backyard again, this time with everyone, after Nancy died. He laid down next to her in the grass, his heart breaking for her. He just wanted to make her laugh. "It's an alien pushing a baby carriage," he'd said about the shape in the clouds that Mo had identified as a hand. It had the reaction he hoped for; Olivia had giggled. He was glad he could still make her smile. Making her smile was the most important thing in the world on a day like this.

Only a few minutes later that same day, Mo had started singing to her – the song that eventually became More Than A Band. Wen had contributed a line early on that he thought was important for Olivia: "Say what you want, or don't talk at all." He wanted her to know that she could tell him – could tell any of them – anything she needed to, but also that she didn't have to. He just needed her to know they were there for her; he was there for her.

There was another time soon after, once they had More Than A Band figured out – it was the day they went to practice in Stella's backyard and her little brothers had had some fun recording the song. The five of them had hung out all afternoon, goofing off around the pool. At some point – before they'd all started shoving each other fully-clothed into the water – Stella had been playing some relaxed, happy tune on her acoustic guitar and he'd reached for Olivia's hand, grinning. She caught on pretty quickly to what he was after – they were always on the same page– and they found themselves dancing their way around the pool. He saw Mo grab Charlie and start dancing with him, too, but most of his attention was on Olivia. Maybe he hadn't said anything in particular that day, but he was still telling her: the way he held her sides, spun her out in front of him, clasped her fingers in his own, smiled broadly at her and did whatever it took to keep the grin on her face. She was having fun and he probably would have willingly danced with her for the rest of the day if nothing stopped them. It just felt so damn good.

One of the biggest moments was after Rising Star, after everyone had recovered from their ailments. When Sydney mentioned those kittens he knew right away. "I brought you something…" He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he stood outside Olivia's door and lifted that kitten into her view from behind his back. Her expression made his heart burst; he knew immediately that he'd made a good decision. He'd been a little worried it would look like he was trying to fill the hole left by Nancy too soon, but seeing Olivia fawn over the little creature, he could see it was just what she needed. He knew while he watched her that it must be written plain across his face, but she was barely looking at him anyway. Then he said it again, new words but the same message every time: "You were right, you know." She had been, and she deserved to know. A moment later she turned and wrapped her arms around him – as much as she could with a kitten in her hand – and he'd tucked his face down into her shoulder, holding her tightly and hoping she knew how much she meant to him.

And then, of course, there was the moment he thought it was finally coming to something, during that TV interview during their summer tour. "She – she's my girl." And they had linked hands. Not an unfamiliar sensation to him, he held her hand all the time really, but it felt important. And he'd kissed her hand while they performed; cheesy, but he couldn't help himself. Later when they'd talked about it she got flustered and backpedaled and told him it didn't have to mean anything, she'd done it for Mo and Scott. In retrospect he didn't know exactly why he hadn't said something then and there, because he knew there was more to it than that. He knew he wasn't the only one who felt the way he did. But maybe she wasn't ready. So he'd just smiled and told her yeah, of course, for Mo.

But it had been nearly a month since they got home from their tour and a year since he'd had his world turned completely upside down and he knew he wasn't the only one and he couldn't resist it any more. No more saying it through other things; he wanted to say how he really felt, out loud, to her face.

x

His explanation left her speechless. Red-faced, she stared at him; he only smiled at her, blushing a bit himself. His hands were balled against his legs while he spoke, but then he felt hers shift against both of their thighs again, and he reached over and took it gently. "It just felt like time to do something more about it," he finished softly.

Olivia looked away for a moment. "I just-" She stopped, choking slightly. Closing her eyes, swallowing hard, and taking a deep breath, she tried again. "I… I was never sure. I didn't trust my judgement when it came to you."

"Why not?" Wen asked, flexing his fingers just to feel the way they were laced between hers.

"Because I _wanted_ you to like me," she admitted, very quietly.

Smile growing, Wen reached over and gently turned her chin so she faced him again. "I _do_ like you," he pointed out.

She looked at him for a moment, almost disbelievingly, but slowly a smile started to pull at the corners of her mouth. She bit down on it. "For real?"

"How many more ways do I have to say it before you believe me?" he laughed.

Olivia cast her embarrassed, excited smile down into her lap for another moment. "Maybe – maybe you could say the other thing again," she suggested softly.

He paused for a second, momentarily unsure which other thing she meant, and then it hit him and he smiled even more. "Hey, Olivia?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at him again, which was exactly what he wanted.

"I love you," he told her, beaming.

She bit her lip so hard, trying to contain her joy, that he briefly feared she was going to hurt herself. Then, "Wen I love you too," all in a single long rush of breath.

He chuckled. "There's no hurry, Olivia," he teased her gently. "We've got all the time in the world." Wen leaned in and closed the small gap between them once again, lingering this time like he'd wanted to before. She kissed him back less cautiously now, gripping his hand tightly.

"I know," she breathed as he pulled back. "But it turns out you've said it so many times already, and I love you, and I want to catch up."

"Oh, okay," Wen laughed as she leaned in and gave him another peck, suddenly shifting into something more closely resembling her stage confidence. He didn't mind it one bit.

"I love you," Olivia repeated, smiling and leaning her head against his shoulder.


End file.
